Schedule and 2021-22 Results
Regular Season Records: Phoenix 64-18, New Orleans 36-46
Game 1 on Sunday, 17 April: New Orleans loses at Phoenix, 110-pts-99
Game 2 on Tuesday, 19 April: New Orleans wins at Phoenix, 125-pts-114
Game 3 on Friday, 22 April: Phoenix wins at New Orleans, 114-pts-111
Game 4 on Sunday, 24 April: Phoenix loses at New Orleans, 118-pts-103
Game 5 on Tuesday, 26 April: New Orleans loses at Phoenix, 112-pts-97
Game 6 on Thursday, 28 April: Phoenix wins at New Orleans, 115-pts-109

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 6: The Phoenix Suns visited and bested the New Orleans Pelicans 115-pts-109 to complete a 4-games-2 best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1504 victory. With the series 1504 win, the Phoenix Suns improve their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record to 19-21 overall and 6-2 in the Preliminary round. With the series 1504 loss, the New Orleans Pelicans see their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record fall to 1-3 overall and 1-2 in the Preliminary round. The win order for the victorious Phoenix Suns in series 1504 was WLWLWW: Series 1504 thus becomes the fourth NBA Preliminary-round series, the 25th NBA series (all rounds), and the 48th MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow that win order to completion.

After Game 5: The Phoenix Suns hosted and outscored the New Orleans Pelicans 112-pts-97 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1504 lead of 3-games-2. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-2, the Phoenix Suns have a series record of 9-3 (with an active five-series winning streak) and a Game 6 record of 7-5. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-2, the New Orleans Pelicans have a series record of 0-0 and a Game 6 record of 0-0. Series 1504 is the fourth best-of-7 NBA playoff series in which the Phoenix Suns achieved a punch-counterpunch WLWLW win order through the first five games; in series 646 (in the 1993 NBA Semifinals over the old Seattle Supersonics) and in series 983 (in the 2006 NBA Quarterfinals over the Los Angeles Clippers), the Suns achieved punch-counterpunch WLWLWLW series victories.

After Game 4: The New Orleans Pelicans hosted and defeated the Phoenix Suns 118-pts-103 to knot best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1504 at 2-games-all. When tied 2-games-all in a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series, the Phoenix Suns have a series record of 7-9 and a Game 5 record of 7-9, while the New Orleans Pelicans have a series record of 0-0 and a Game 5 record of 0-0. The entity known as the New Orleans Pelicans is tied 2-games-all in a best-of-7 NBA playoff series for the first time in series 1504 (its fourth best-of-7 NBA playoff series).

After Game 3: The Phoenix Suns visited and defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 114-pts-111 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1504 lead of 2-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Phoenix Suns have a series record of 12-4 and a Game 4 record of 9-7. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the New Orleans Pelicans have a series record of 0-1 and a Game 4 record of 0-1. The sole best-of-7 NBA playoff series in which the New Orleans Pelicans trailed 2-games-1 after three games was series 1379, in the 2018 NBA Quarterfinals against the Golden State Warriors (in which New Orleans lost Game 4 and the series).

After Game 2: The New Orleans Pelicans visited and defeated the Phoenix Suns 125-pts-114 to tie best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1504 at 1-game-all. When tied 1-game-all in a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series, the Phoenix Suns have a series record of 12-5 and a Game 3 record of 10-7, while the New Orleans Pelicans have a series record of 0-0 and a Game 3 record of 0-0. New Orleans trailed the Suns in Phoenix by five points at halftime in series 1504 Game 2, but rallied for the road victory: In the history of best-of-7 NBA playoff games beginning in 1947, road teams trailing by five points after two quarters had a 36-91 (.284) game record; so it is that the New Orleans Pelicans achieved a grade-C comeback (.200-.299) in series 1504 Game 2. With their Game 2 victory, the New Orleans Pelicans have become the first NBA team to trail a best-of-7 playoff series opponent by 28 or more regular-season games and not lose both Games 1 and 2 to that opponent. Series 1504 is the fourth best-of-7 NBA playoff series for the entity known as the New Orleans Pelicans, and the first in which the Pelicans were tied 1-game-all after the first two series games.

After Game 1: The Phoenix Suns hosted and defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 110-pts-99 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1504 lead of 1-game-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Phoenix Suns have a series record of 14-6 and a Game 2 record of 9-11. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the New Orleans Pelicans have a series record of 0-2 and a Game 2 record of 0-2. In the history of best-of-7 NBA playoff games (beginning in 1947), teams such as the Phoenix Suns in series 1504 Game 1 which win Game 1 at home by eleven points have a 21-5 (.808) series record.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2021-22 NBA regular season, the Phoenix Suns finished 28 games ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans. From 1947 through the 2021 NBA Finals round, when NBA teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by 28 regular-season games, they have posted a best-of-7 playoff series record of 1-0 (1.000) in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1504 is the 40th best-of-7 NBA playoff series for the Phoenix Suns, and the fourth for the New Orleans Pelicans. In best-of-7 NBA playoff series, the Phoenix Suns have an all-rounds series record of 18-21, a Preliminary-round series record of 5-2, and a Game 1 record of 20-19, while the New Orleans Pelicans have an all-rounds series record of 1-2, a Preliminary-round series record of 1-1, and a Game 1 record of 1-2. Series 1504 is the first best-of-7 NBA playoff series meeting between the Phoenix Suns and the New Orleans Pelicans. The 28-game regular-season differential between the Phoenix Suns and the New Orleans Pelicans ties for the third-largest regular-season game differential between two teams competing in a best-of-7 NBA playoff series.